Orange Order proposal an attempt to 'resolve outstanding differences' over Crumlin Road parade

Orange Order members walking past Twaddle Avenue, close to the Ardoyne interface in Belfast. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Loyalist protests began in 2013 after the Parades Commission ruled that a return leg of the annual Twelfth of July parade could not pass along the stretch of the Crumlin Road close to Ardoyne.

Almost nightly protests followed until 2016 when an agreement between the local Orange lodges and the Crumlin Ardoyne Residents Association was reached in 2016.

The deal allowed for the three local lodges to complete the return leg of the parade back to their Orange halls, and thereafter they would, "instigate a voluntary moratorium on applying for a [future] return parade”.

However, the Orange Order made it clear this was only a temporary measure while a long-term solution could be reached.

In a statement on Friday (June 28), the County Grand Orange Lodge of Belfast said: “After careful consideration, and a period of intensive consultation involving the Orange Institution, the local community and political representatives, we are announcing an initiative aimed at resolving the outstanding differences around parading on the Crumlin Road.

“Currently, there are five morning parades and one contested evening return parade in relation to the 12th July.

“In a genuine and serious attempt to overcome our differences and as a solution to address the contention surrounding the evening return parade, we propose its replacement with a morning homeward return parade on the 13th of July.

“To this end, a new application has been submitted to the Parades Commission. This magnanimous and serious effort underscores our commitment to finding a fair, peaceful and lasting solution."

The statement goes on to say: "It addresses the concerns raised by all parties involved in the dispute and ensures that the rights of the three local lodges and the Protestant community to return home are upheld.

“With the same spirit of cooperation and understanding demonstrated in this initiative, we believe the foundation for a just and long-term resolution to the parading dispute is within our grasp.

“No further comment will be made at this time.”